Module 16- L’art et l’expression
Deuxième partie : arts visuels, la grammaire
In this section:
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ce qui, ce que
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ce dont, ce + preposition + quoi
ce qui, ce que
Ce qui and ce que are relative pronouns like qui and que; that is, they introduce a subordinate clause. However, ce qui and ce que are used in sentences in which there is no expressed antecedent. They do not refer to a specific noun, but rather to an idea or an entire statement, which may or may not have been previously expressed: they refer to something unstated and unspecified.
The choice between ce qui and ce que depends solely on the grammatical role, subject or direct object, that the relative pronoun plays in the subordinate clause.
ce qui
Ce qui (what, that, which) functions as the subject of the subordinate clause.
| Tammy: Edouard, tu as lu le roman de Tex sur la deuxième guerre mondiale? | Tammy: Edouard, have you read Tex’s novel on WWII? | |
| Edouard: Ah oui! Ce qui est fascinant, c’est sa description de l’époque. | Edouard: Ah, yes I have! What’s fascinating is his description of the period. | |
| J’adore tout ce qui se rapporte à la Résistance! | I love everything that is related to the Resistance! | |
| Et puis, il y a une intrigue amoureuse, ce qui ne m’étonne pas puisque l’héroïne du livre s’appelle Marie-Tammy! | And there’s also a love interest, which does not surprise me since the book’s heroine is called Marie-Tammy! |
Ce qui is often used for emphasis followed by c’est. Note how the sentence ‘Ce qui est fascinant, c’est sa description de l’époque.’ is more emphatic than saying simply ‘Sa description de l’époque est fascinante.’
ce que
Ce que (what, that, which) functions as the direct object of the subordinate clause. Ce que becomes ce qu’ before a word beginning with a vowel.
| Tammy: Tout ce que Tex crée est tellement original! | Tammy: Everything that Tex creates is so original! | |
| Moi, j’aime ce qu’il écrit à propos de la France dans les années 1940. | Personally, I like what he writes about France in the 1940s. | |
| Ce que je n’aime pas, c’est la fin du livre. | What I don’t like is the end of the book. | |
| Le héros meurt. Il n’épouse donc pas Marie-Tammy, ce que je trouve très dommage. | The hero dies. So he does not marry Marie-Tammy, which I think is such a pity. |
Note how the sentence ‘Ce que je n’aime pas, c’est la fin du livre.’ is more emphatic than saying simply ‘Je n’aime pas la fin du livre.’
ce dont, ce + preposition + quoi
Just as the forms ce qui and ce que are used when there is no explicit antecedent, so the forms ce dont and ce + preposition + quoi refer to something unstated and unspecified.
Use ce dont if the subordinate clause needs an object introduced by de.
| On comprend très bien ce dont les Parisiens avaient peur pendant l’Occupation.
Ce à quoi les Français pensaient pendant l’Occupation m’intéresse beaucoup. |
One understands very well what the Parisians were afraid of during the Occupation.
What the French thought about during the Occupation interests me a lot. |
Use ce + preposition + quoi when the subordinate clause needs an object introduced by a preposition other than de. Remember that, unlike English, the preposition in French must always be placed immediately in front of the relative pronoun.
